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Kerry Cites Progress in Syria

November 12, 2015 3:42 PM

Pamela Dockins

Secretary of State Kerry speaks at The United States Institute of Peace on U.S. strategy in Syria and the Middle East just before heading back to Vienna for more talks on how to resolve the crisis, Nov. 12, 2015.

Secretary of State John Kerry says the U.S.-led coalition will be doing more in the coming weeks to degrade the Islamic State’s ability to produce and sell oil and gas, which helps fund the terrorist group's military operations.

He commented at a Washington forum on Thursday ahead of a three-nation tour that includes talks in Vienna on Syria’s political future.

“The rise of Daesh is directly attributable to the policies and actions of the Assad regime,” said Kerry, referring to the Islamic State.

He said the coalition has launched more than 8,000 airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, significantly degrading the Islamic State’s leadership. He also said the coalition has cut into the amount of territory under the militant group’s control.

On Saturday, officials from 17 countries plus the U.N. and European Union will meet in Vienna for their second round of talks on Syria.

“I cannot say this afternoon that we are on the threshold of a comprehensive agreement,” said Kerry. “There remains a lot of work to be done,” he added.

In a communiqué at the end of the first round of talks in October, the world powers, the U.N. agreed on the importance of accelerating diplomatic efforts to end Syria's civil unrest.

They also agreed to a U.N.-led process that would include talks between the Syrian government and the moderate opposition, along with a possible ceasefire.

But stark differences remain over some issues, including the status of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

At the end of the first round of talks, Kerry said, "Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister Zarif and I and others agree to disagree."

Kerry was referring to his Russian and Iranian counterparts.

"The United States' position is there is no way that President Assad can unite and govern Syria," he said.

FILE - A man holds the hand of a girl as they rush away from a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in the Douma, Syria, Nov. 7, 2015.

Disagreement over Russian proposals

Russia has floated several proposals for the upcoming talks.

It circulated a plan for ending the Syrian war that calls for drafting a new constitution in up to 18 months.

However, Syrian opposition groups said the plan is unacceptable because Russia's goal would be to keep Assad in power. Western diplomats have indicated the plan will not be a focal point in upcoming talks.

Additionally, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said world powers meeting in Vienna need to agree on a list of terrorist organizations in Syria. An agreement would be part of a broader plan to identify the country's legitimate opposition groups.